Israel extends law that banned Al Jazeera for two more years

The Israeli parliament has voted to widen the bill, which allows the shutdown of overseas media outlets, until 2027.

The Israeli parliament has approved an hold of a instrumentality which allows the shutdown of overseas media outlets implicit nationalist information grounds for an further 2 years.

The bill, which replaces impermanent authorities passed past April, includes respective amendments aimed astatine eliminating judicial oversight. It tin present beryllium applied adjacent if Israel is not nether a authorities of emergency.

In May 2024, Israel unopen down Al Jazeera operations successful the country, weeks aft the instrumentality was passed by the Knesset.

The instrumentality gave the premier curate and communications curate the authorization to bid the closure of overseas networks operating successful Israel and confiscate their instrumentality if it was believed they posed “harm to the state’s security”.

“Al Jazeera harmed Israel’s security, actively participated successful the October 7 massacre, and incited against Israeli soldiers,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted connected X connected April 1, 2024.

“I mean to enactment instantly successful accordance with the caller instrumentality to halt the channel’s activity,” helium said.

The Qatar-based web astatine the clip accused Netanyahu of making “slanderous accusations” and said Israel’s suppression of free property “stands successful contravention of planetary and humanitarian law”.

“Al Jazeera holds the Israeli Prime Minister liable for the information of its unit and Network premises astir the world, pursuing his incitement and this mendacious accusation successful a disgraceful manner,” it said successful a connection successful May, 2024.

“Al Jazeera reiterates that specified slanderous accusations volition not deter america from continuing our bold and nonrecreational coverage, and reserves the close to prosecute each ineligible step.”

The Al Jazeera website and tv transmission stay banned successful Israel, nether the law.

The Network has been targeted by Israel before: Netanyahu threatened to unopen down its Jerusalem bureau successful 2017, and an Israeli rocket destroyed the gathering lodging the broadcaster’s bureau successful Gaza successful 2021.

Many Al Jazeera journalists – and successful respective cases, their families – person been killed successful Israeli attacks during its genocidal warfare connected Gaza. Anas al-Sharif and 3 different Al Jazeera journalists were killed successful Israeli attacks successful August, and are among much than 200 Palestinian journalists killed during the two-year war.

In May 2022, Al Jazeera’s writer Shireen Abu Akleh was changeable dormant by Israeli soldiers successful the occupied West Bank. Israel initially denied but aboriginal admit ‘high possibility‘ its worker killed the journalist, known for her crushed reporting from the occupied Palestinian territories.